Summer Time

It is finally warm and summer like in Alberta so why does my paint brush fail me now? I have been waiting for this wonderful time to arrive.  Is this an another example of procrastination or is it fear?  As a painters I often face this wall but I try to scale up the wall using perserverence and disipline as my main tools.  So why, now, do I struggle? Why does this hurdle feel too big to scale?

Something about the summer allows me to think it is ok to slack off.  Long days offer and temp me that there are more hours in the day to complete my work.  I will have to raise my paintbrush, soon, and try to do battle with my wall or my minds eye may exaggerate this wall until it appears to be a mountain.  Then I would need new climbing gear- which could mean a shopping trip...Hmmmm

Commission Work

                                           A Stones Throw- Acrylic on Canvas- 12 x 16- 2010

This is a commission piece I did for a cousin of ours.  It is of her daughter in years gone by.  I am enjoying, once again, the satisfaction of doing commission work for friends and family.  It is challenging to take these commissions on as there is often an expectation from the client that is difficult to define.  One persons memories, preferences, minds eye are always different from the next persons.  It is the uniqueness of our personality that makes artwork hard to commission when the reference or expectations is not the artists. 

It is a challenge that I am beginning to enjoy- the pleasure of connecting with people and using my skills to build on their desires is rewarding.  When it works it works.  When it doesn't work- you can try a second time or let it go.  No harm done.  Gesso is a wonderful invention.  I am grateful to do what I do and humbled by the growth ahead of me. 

Direction

I have been thinking about what I am doing with my artwork, what I am trying to say and what I am going to paint and why.  What are my weakest areas- where do I need improvement?  Do I have the ability to express what I am feeling and transpose it to the canvas?
I am going to paint the figure for a week with an inspiring and talented artist, Bev Tosh.  I am hoping that a week long immersion into art will push me forward to where I need to be.  Help me to answer my questions.  Help me to refocus my thoughts.   I have painted with Bev twice before and feel that it will be a positive experience.  A week of art.. Yummy

Note- I am now painting with Dave More- while I was looking forward to painting the figure I am equally excited to paint the landscape.  Same week same place- Bev's class was overbooked.   Can't wait.

Be very careful what you dream because dreams do come true.

New Exhibit Space-
Yes, the unexpected has happened.  We are expanding!!!  This new space will be for a temporary exhibit of my 2010 show, Pathways, with special guest paintings by Erika Schulz.
The opportunity came to us last week as we were sulking about not having enough space to display our large pieces of artwork.  It occurred to us that the space right next to us was for lease- it is large and has four fabulous white walls just screaming to hold our beautiful artwork.  So......after some negotiating with our landlord.....the Next Door Salon is going to be available to us beginning this week. 

I hope that you get a chance to drop by and see our new space and enjoy some amazing artwork.
I am very grateful.

Spring is Sp-ring-ing

Things are starting to happen in Red Deer- Summer Festivals, Events galore!!  We at Gallery IS  are going to do our best to be a vibrant part of this atmosphere in 2010.
May will bring us First Friday Opening for Sandy Warren- a personal favorite of mine and then June we are going to do a SMASHING PARTY to start our reno's.  Look out!!!  You will not want to miss out.  (We are talking about Live ART making, Live Music, and Wine and Food)

My painting is coming along- I just finished a new piece titled  "Viv's Giant Iris"- based on a one a day painting form the summer of 2009.    I am going to enter it in the ASA show upcoming in Calgary.  I will post more details after the submission is accepted.  Keep your fingers crossed.

I am really liking where my art is going.  I feel that the merger of the new and the old are really starting to take a shape of their own.  I will be forging ahead to see what comes of this new energy and painting style- I think I will stay with florals for now...but then again you never know.

Manulife Show is Up until May 2, 2020

Well, I did it, the show is up and ready to be view.  I think it looks fabulous and the feedback has been very positive so far.  I hope that you can get there to see the show as I am very proud of the work and would love to have your opinions.

The art pieces are a reflection of the one a day paintings project I accomplished in 2009.  I used the one a day paintings as thumbnails and tried to abstract them to show off the areas of the painting I felt were strongest.  They are done in acrylic mediums using transparent glazes and opaque areas of enhansent.  The work is large, 3 feet by 5 feet with a few of the paintings being slightly smaller at 36 x 48, and 30 x 48.

New Abstract Painting Acrylic Large Landscape

The new work is completed- I am very pleased.
Hope you enjoy-

remarkable art weekend

 

Mountview Virginia Creeper Alleyway Series

Wow, this was an extraordinary and remarkable weekend for me.  It started with a First Friday event for Erika and my One a Day show, Deja View.  The attendance was good- we had a few first timers out and about and that is very encouraging.

Saturday was a wonderful day in the gallery with many people dropping by to share the ART experience with us at the Gallery IS.  I started work on my newest pieces and the procrastination spell was broken....

But that is not all- I met a remarkable human being that day.  She was new to the Gallery, first time in, and she found a piece of my art that resonated with her.  The painting above is the one that she chose.  I delivered to her home and it was a perfect fit for her and her home.  The size and color choices in the piece worked so well, she was so very happy to have my art in her home and she could hardly wait to share it with all her friends...Here is the amazing part...the customer I am referring to is completely blind.  She has been blind for half of her life and does have a memory of colour so I showed her the painting with her hand and explained to her what I felt the painting was about.  She was so intuitive...she understood what I had to say with her minds eye.

I was amazed.  I will never forget this remarkable woman and her connection with art.

I am honored to have my art live with her and share her journey, even in this small way.

Later that day I went to a concert/musical theatre of a friend's girl.  Again, what talent and commitment we have here in Red Deer.  They sang, danced and acted their little hearts out and gave so much to their audience.  They should all be very proud- I know that I am.  We then spent time together and reviewed the nuances of the performance.  It was a day and night to remember for many of us.

Sunday was to be my day of rest- but a forgotten commitment was remembered at the last minute.  I was to judge a tattoo contest at Harley Davidson.  This would be my second time at this and it is always an adventure.  You are never sure what body part is to be exposed and what the tattoo will be or who will be bringing it up to show you.  There was one dicey momment when a contestant whipped off his pant and then, began to adjust the underwear, I quickly averted my eyes to make sure I did not see more than was required to judge the art.....

The artwork was very interesting but what got me were the stories behind the choices of the tattoo, most were very touching memories to lost love ones or a tribute to loved ones.  A few were wild in composition and colour that properly matched the body of the owner.  Others were odd and misfitted but in the whole they were all art.

I told you that it was an amazing weekend.

It is now 4pm on Sunday and I am hoping for a relaxing time but you never know what is next..

I hope to paint and I will post the completed artwork Monday.

JL

Friday- Opening for our Deja View show at Gallery IS- I am looking forward to this.
Having completed last years challenge and moving on to this years challenge has not been a smooth transition. It is February 5 and I should have 8 to 10 finished pieces for 2010. I have 6. I am not sure why I am procrastinating, my canvas is here- thanks to AB Art and Drafting, and they are just sitting there stacked against the wall. Today I will begin a new piece- I will try very hard to complete 2 large pieces by Monday. As a challenge I will post the results- done or not, and I am sure hopeful that they will be done.
February is one of my favorite months- June is number one.

Deja- View A year of One a Day paintings

I have selected pieces that capture the beginning, middle and the conclusion of this wonderful experience.

The first selection of work exhibited shows the first few paintings attempted in this year long challenge. My early emphasis was to develop the discipline to paint daily, explore the challenge of daily creativity and develop my artistic style.



The second selection of my work shows the incorporation of step one and the stretching of these concepts. I learned to look for interesting things in the ordinary.
I would walk a similar route each day through my neighborhood and paint what caught my attention that day. With the changes in seasons you would think this would be easy but it turned out to be a test. With several grey days, or days with little to no light, rainy days, windy days, snow days, blizzard days and the like it was not always easy to find beauty. Some times I had to get creative- like the end of April 2009 when I just could not paint one more snow scene-so I turned to the returning birds of spring and attempted to seek out a new one each day and paint his or her portrait. I also found the size of the "dailies" to be a challenge, at first the small 4 x 6 size was a little like a puzzle, it was complex and interesting, but it soon became too small. I switched in August to a larger format of 8 x 10 and the world opened up once again.

The third selection of works shows my growth from form to abstraction. Towards the end of October I began to explore abstract form in the landscape. This brought forward a series of five paintings in late December 2009 that explored abstraction by using the same reference photo, stretching the landscape into design, pattern and shape, all while maintaining the integrity of the subject. Two of my favorite pieces are shown here.
The final piece in the show is an example of where 2010 is taking me and my art. I will be using my One a Day paintings as thumbnails for large abstract pieces. The size will be 36 x 48, 36 x 60, and 36 x 40 inches, and they are going to be more expressive and abstract. I have challenged myself to do 2 paintings per week until April when I will be hanging them in a show in Manulife Place, Edmonton.

I did not anticipate my One a Day experience to bring me so much growth. I have learned so much from it, , not just in technique but in the maturity of my eye for color and light, contour , texture and perspective. I would encourage everyone to take on a challenge each year- daily painting or any other creative outlet. You will end up in places you never dreamed you would go.

Jeri Lynn Ing